Date:	Monday 20 May 1940
Time:	14:30 LT
Type:	Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Owner/operator:	79 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L2145
MSN:	AL-D
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	St. Quentin, Aisne, Hauts de France -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Merville, Lille, France
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Hawker Hurricane L2145 (AL-D) of 79 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) for a combat air patrol in the Arras area. Pilot killed. According to the official Air Ministry file on the incident (File AIR 81/510): "Hurricane L2145 failed to return from an operational flight over France, 20 May 1940. Flying Officer L R Dorrien-Smith: missing presumed dead".

Missing on patrol: Hurricane L2145 of 79 Squadron, flown by Pilot Officer L.R.Dorrien-Smith was shot down near St Quentin, Aisne, Hauts de France by ground fire during attack on enemy armoured columns west of Arras, 14.30 hrs. Aircraft came down at approximate Coordinates: 49°50′55″N 3°17′11″E

Pilot: Pilot Officer Lionel Roger Dorrien-Smith, RAFVR 72501, age 21, posted 20/05/1940, missing presumed killed

The pilot was the nephew of Lord Trenchard, the founding father of the RAF. As no trace of the pilot or his aircraft was ever found, he was commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, and on a family memorial at at St Nicholas' Church, Tresco, Isles Of Scilly

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 15)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/510: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502131
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/232377/dorrien-smith,-lionel-roger/
4. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15250182/lionel-roger-dorrien_smith
5. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=747
6. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/79_squadron.html
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Algernon_Dorrien-Smith#Family
8. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Cornwall/ScillyIslesStMary.html

Memorial to Pilot Officer Lionel Roger Dorrien-Smith at St Nicholas' Church, Tresco, Isles Of Scilly Dorrien Smith Family © Ian Hacke. (WMR-35532)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Mar-2008 15:53	JINX	Added
06-Jan-2012 07:18	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Phase]
26-Feb-2013 20:18	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Country, Phase, Source, Narrative]
27-May-2013 21:15	Nepa	Updated [Operator]
09-Aug-2013 01:02	JINX	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative]
01-May-2015 14:25	Quentin	Updated [Operator]
07-Aug-2019 22:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative]